How Many Calories Do You Burn While Having Sex?

When it comes to exercise, it’s tough to beat a good ole romp between the sheets. While various forms of exercise can help improve your sex life, you can also count the act itself as exercise. If you’re anything like most other adults, you’d probably agree that sexy time is far more enjoyable than gym time, and you’d be thrilled to learn that yes, there have been studies that actually get down to the nitty gritty, leaving few unanswered questions to the imagination. For the sake of curiously sexual beings everywhere, we’re here to clear the air and answer the burning question that’s been on your mind: Just how many calories do you burn while having sex?

From your first time with your high school sweetheart to your latest passion-filled sexual experience with your significant other, it’s safe to say that sex is a major part of your life. With benefits that outweigh just connecting with your loved one alone, the act can also help with your health, as well. Like any other type of exercise, it all depends on the level of intensity. That said, take the following with a grain of salt, as you’re not guaranteed these results with every act of passion.

A passionate couple | iStock

According to research, men burn about 100 calories during an average sex session, while women burn about 69 calories. When considering these numbers, keep in mind that the average amount of time was about 25 minutes. Naturally, this number of calories will vary, depending on your size, level of intensity, and so on.

If you’re wondering why these numbers differ significantly between sexes, an article in Cosmopolitan suggests the researchers attribute the gap to the fact that men tend to do more of the work, and are therefore more active over the length of intercourse. Now again, keep in mind this study monitored only 21 heterosexual couples over the course of 4 separate experiences. So, if you’re a lady who likes to take charge in the bedroom, don’t get discouraged in thinking that your partner is guaranteed to burn more calories than you with every romp.

A woman stepping on a scale | Thinkstock

For those of you who are still curious and want to dig even deeper, try looking at an RPE scale. When it comes to your personal fitness efforts and potential results, you can measure how many calories you might burn using the Rate of Perceived Exertion scale, and you should be able to get a more accurate read on just how much exercise you’re getting each time you and your partner jump in the sack.

And still, if you’re craving even more insight on just how many calories various acts of affection are burning, you might want to check out this list of 8 Sexy Ways to Burn Calories, which cites kissing as burning 68 calories per hour and massaging as 80 calories per hour.